SOBBING AND LOUDLY LAMENTING

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 28 December 2015. The Innocents

SOBBING AND LOUDLY LAMENTING

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loudly lamenting: it was Rachel weeping for her children.” (Matthew 2:13-18)

Reflection. It is called “collateral damage” – a phrase squeezed of emotional content, a description of “what happened” emptied of responsibility. Who is to blame when a Syrian woman sobs on TV because her husband is dead and her children lie buried under rubble? It is sometimes thrown at believers, “Where is your God that such things happen?” The answer, of course, is he is there suffering with his people. He knows what it is like to be caught up in struggles for power and control. And the millions who do not know him suffer any way – but not in vain. The innocent suffer and, in the solidarity of humanity, their pain has meaning.

Prayer. Lord, as we reflect on the Holy Innocents, help us to see that we are all one: brothers and sisters in every corner of the planet. Amen.